Patients' satisfaction with quality of care in general hospitals in Ebonyi State, Nigeria, using SERVQUAL theory

Background: Patient satisfaction is an essential parameter in the assessment of quality of care and healthcare facility performance. Objective: To investigate patients' satisfaction with quality of care in general hospitals in Ebonyi State, South East, Nigeria, using the SERVQUAL. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study design was employed on a sample of 400 patients using a 27-item structured open-ended patients' satisfaction questionnaire with a multi-stage cluster sampling technique. Patients included in the study were those who must have come for an outpatient clinic within the period, be 18 years and above, and those who gave consent to participate. Of 400 questionnaires administered, 396 (99%) were retrieved. SPSS version 20 was used for data analysis. Descriptive statistics, such as frequencies, percentages, mean score (x), and standard deviation, were employed for interpretation. Results: Out of 396 patients, 156 (39.4%) were male and 240 (60.6%) were females. Most patients were 18-39 years (233 (58.8%)), had secondary education (139 (35.1%)), married (221 (55.8%)), earned <18,000 (170(42.9%)), and were traders (136 (34.3%)). Patients were satisfied with tangibility (2.57 +/- 0.99) and reliability (2.84 +/- 0.95) and very satisfied with responsiveness (3.06 +/- 0.63), assurance (3.07 +/- 0.63), and empathy (3.12 +/- 0.57). Conclusions: Patients were satisfied with the quality of care. However, satisfaction was highest with empathy and lowest with tangibility. Thus, managers should focus their quality improvement efforts on areas of the neat appearance of health workers, waiting facilities for attendants and patients, and hygienic conditions at the hospital. Also, biannual assessment of patients' satisfaction should be done and the results generated use judiciously to provide a platform for health sector reform.